Tucson , Arizona -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Thousands of people determined `` to exercise their Second Amendment rights , '' attended a gun show Saturday in Tucson , Arizona , one week after a well-armed gunman opened fire at a local shopping center , the show 's president said .

The mood at the show was somber , said Bob Templeton of Crossroads of the West Gun Shows .

But the two-day event is expected to draw up to nearly 7,000 patrons , rather than the customary 5,000 , Templeton said . Attendees waited up to 20 minutes to buy tickets Saturday morning , he said .

`` We had a moment of silence here at the show , '' Templeton said , referring to the deaths of six people and the wounding of 13 others , including U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords , after last Saturday 's shooting .

Donations were being taken at the show to assist victims and families .

Jared Lee Loughner , 22 , allegedly carried a knapsack to the shopping center , according to a law enforcement official familiar with the investigation . He had a semi-automatic handgun , four ammunition magazines and a knife , according to the official .

Loughner is accused of bringing a Glock handgun to the Giffords event and opening fire .

Some critics have questioned whether the gun show was appropriate so soon after the shootings .

Templeton knows there will be a renewed debate on gun control .

`` It 's going to be a long dialogue on gun control and gun rights , and it will be hard to strike a balance between those two positions , '' he said . `` Responsible firearm ownership means if you are going to have a gun , you should be trained to use it in a responsible way . ''

Bill Schaeffler of Tucson , among those at the show Saturday , said he knows gun control and high-capacity ammunition magazines will be hot topics . Still , he said , people want to protect themselves .

`` There will be more guns owned in this state at the end of this month than at the beginning of the month , '' he told CNN .

A member of gun-rights lobbying group said he would probably vote for Giffords if she returns to Congress .

`` You just have to admire somebody ... who has that kind of perseverance , '' said Charles Heller , secretary of the Arizona Citizens Defense League .

Heller argued that a well-armed society is a safer society . `` Being armed is the natural state of man , '' he said .

Federal law enforcement officials were on site to monitor buyers and sales activity , Templeton said . `` They routinely watch gun shows near the border area to try and curb the flow of guns into Mexico . ''

Templeton told CNN affiliate KGUN the massacre had nothing to do with lawful gun ownership .

`` It was about a madman who had an agenda and who committed unspeakable acts of mayhem and violence , '' he said .

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Gun show held in Tucson , Arizona , one week after massacre

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Organizer said killings had nothing to do with gun ownership

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Attendance expected to be higher than most years